A Former Nunnery

From Country Life:

 The property — technically No.1 – 3 Barrow Court — is a former Benedictine nunnery, and now a nine-bedroom house with a floorplan larger than the map of some entire villages. There’s nearly 12,000sq ft of space on offer in the main house, with a couple of cellars, an annexe and garage taking the total over 13,000sq ft. As you might have guessed from the name of the place, the house has actually been divided into three — back in the 1970s — but the three parts of the main house are for sale as one, potentially opening up the possibility of making it one enormous house once more. That said, you’d have to get the right permissions in place: this is a Grade II*-listed building that dates back to the 12th century, and as well as planning and conservation officers you’ll also have to bear in mind that it’s offered not as freehold, but with a 972-year lease. There is precedent for it being one home again, naturally. Though it started out as a religious house, it became a wealthy merchant’s house following the Dissolution of the Monasteries. (Read more.)